Certain types of commodity and/or industrial items can be packaged by placing the desired product(s) in a covering material, then applying a closure clip or clips to end portions of the covering material to secure the product(s) therein. For non-flowable piece goods, the piece goods can be held individually in a respective clipped package, or as a group of discrete or integrated (e.g., compressed) goods in a single package. The covering material can be any suitable material, typically a casing and/or netting material.
For example, the systems may include a chute that holds a length of sheared casing and/or a netting sleeve over the exterior thereof. The leading and trailing edges of the casing and/or netting can be gathered and clipped, typically using single or double clippers. Clipping mechanisms or “clippers” are well known to those of skill in the art and include those available from Tipper Tie, Inc., of Apex, N.C., including product number Z4288. Examples of clip attachment apparatus and/or packaging apparatus are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,389,533; 3,499,259; 4,683,700; and 5,161,347, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0000196, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.